I'm new to the whole repaint thing and am almost done with my first attempt. What I wanted to know was what is a good protective finishing coat for my figure to prevent damage to the new paint job from regular transformation?
Krylon sells some protective coats.. But when a Transformers is involved, it's not all about paint. using an X-acto knife, you can strip a thin layer of plastic where it rubs to another part... Take time to study the toy before making changes. When parts are no longer a problem when transforming, you can proceed with the painting and finally, put a clearcote on it. No matter how good the clear is, it's not gonna make miracles happen.
Listen to this man, he knows what he's talkin' about! When you add paint, your adding thickness to the surfaces you are painting. If there are spots with close gaps, the paint will make the gap even smaller. The result: rubbing and paint wear. If it's not too late (sounds like it may be), you can sand down the parts before primer/paint, increasing the clearances. Then when you paint, these clearances may be reduced but it should be okay if you prepped. You can use a clear coat after as well. Many kitbashers use Future floor polish because it adds a protective coating. You'll have to experiment and find what works best for you!
I thought ahead a little, the one I'm finishing up was just a practice run to see how certain techniques would translate onto a TF figure. I repainted a Cybertron Optimus Primal, so there are minimal close contact parts. The figures that I plan to do are Skywarp and Thundercracker (I know they've been done before, but I just want a set for myself). It was just that the paint around the stem of the ball joints had pretty much vanished.
yep, plus you can use dye for moving parts like balljoints (they're a softer plastic, so they take real well)
